The administration of a medicament through endermism is considered to be the best means of providing considerable pharmaceutical effects without causing side effects, i.e., gastrointestinal disorders which occur upon a peroral administration. Recently, an iontophoresis treatment, which enhances the absorption through endermism by an electric means, has attracted particular attention. Reference is made to, for example, J. M. Glass et al, Int. J. Dermatol., 19,519 (1980); J. Russo et al, Am. J. Hosp. Pharm., 37, 843 (1980); L. P. Gangarosa et al, J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., 212,377 (1980); B. S. Kwon et al, J. Infect. Dis., 140, 1014 (1979); J. M. Hill et al, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 284, 604 (1977); and M. Tannebaum, Phys. Ther., 60,792 (1980).
In endermism, which is a passive-diffusive system, the endermic absorbability of a pharmaceutically active component has not been sufficiently elucidated, and thus the selection of an effective medicament is made on the basis of experience, but there are few medicaments which can be employed for this purpose. Medicaments which can exhibit sufficient effects in iontophoresis are also limited.
It has been found that if a very few microcracks or fine openings are produced, on a stratum corneum of a skin at a portion to be treated through endermism, before carrying out a usual endermism operation, the physical and electrical resistances inherently shown by the skin tissue against the endermic absorption of the medicaments can be considerably reduced, and thus the endermism can be efficiently enhanced.
Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide a material for endermic administration pre-treatment, which material can be pressed against the skin and removed therefrom to thereby produce microcracks or fine openings on the stratum corneum, substantially without pain or irritation.
Further, a second object of the present invention is to provide a method for endermic administration pre-treatment, wherein microcracks or fine openings are produced on the stratum corneum, substantially without pain or irritation.